This course covers a wide range of topics related to game design, including speedrunning, game marketing, level design, game tutorials, game mechanics, player experience, storytelling, character design, sound design, and more. The course aims to teach students about various aspects of game design, such as pacing, energy systems, affordances, accessibility, pre-production planning, game psychology, board games, hidden object games, and decision-making in games. The course uses a combination of lectures, case studies, and examples from popular games to illustrate key concepts. The course is suitable for aspiring game designers, game developers, gamers interested in game design principles, and anyone looking to deepen their understanding of the art and science of game design.
Overview
Syllabus
Speedrunning - Games Done Quick and Developer Tips - Extra Credits.
Destiny vs. Warframe - $500 Million in Free Marketing - Extra Credits.
The Pacing of PUBG - The Thriller Tension of Battlegrounds - Extra Credits.
Energy Systems - How Casual Games Suck You In - Extra Credits.
Overwatch and Asymmetric Level Design - What Makes the Maps Fun? - Extra Credits.
Simulation Sickness - Causes and Cures for Game Headaches - Extra Credits.
Choice Paralysis - Too Much of a Good Thing - Extra Credits.
Affordances - How Design Teaches Us Without Words - Extra Credits.
Tutorials 101 - How to Design a Good Game Tutorial - Extra Credits.
Accessibility - The Curb Cut Effect - Extra Credits.
The Pre-Production Problem - How to Improve the Planning Process in Game Design - Extra Credits.
Persona 5 and Jungian Psychology - Masks, Major Arcana, and Meaning - Extra Credits.
The Content Conundrum - Why So Many Games Feel Generic - Extra Credits.
A Case for Board Games - Why Board Games Help You Make Better Video Games - Extra Credits.
Overlooked - The Hidden Potential of Hidden Object Games - Extra Credits.
Ladders and Team Games - Doing it Wrong - Extra Credits.
Plan, Practice, Improvise - Understanding the Three Types of Play in Games - Extra Credits.
Combining Genres - How to Pick the Right Design Mechanics For Your Game - Extra Credits.
De-Gamification - Flexibility to Play Your Way - Extra Credits.
"Art" Is Not the Opposite of "Fun" - Why Analyzing Games Makes Them Better - Extra Credits.
Evil Races are Bad Game Design - Bioessentialism & Worldbuilding - Extra Credits.
Free-to-Play's MECHANICS are Great - The Mini-Game Revolution - Extra Credits.
Awesome Per Second - Don't Waste Time - Extra Credits.
The Price of Randomness - Balancing RNG - Extra Credits.
The Prisoner's Dilemma - The Game Theory of Decision-Making - Extra Credits.
Save Scumming - The Game Design of Save Systems - Extra Credits.
Escort Missions - Dragging Dead Weight - Extra Credits.
Metrics - The Danger of Data-Driven Game Design - Extra Credits.
The Disappointing Final Level - Making Better Endings For Better Games - Extra Credits.
Loading Screens - The Waiting Game - Extra Credits.
Did Level Scaling Break Games? - Leveling in Open World Design - Extra Credits.
The Kobayashi Maru - No-Win Scenarios in Games - Extra Credits.
Diegetic UI - Realistic, or Distracting? - Extra Credits.
The Catharsis of Doing - Designing Emotionally Intense Experiences - Extra Credits.
Fable Legends - The Challenges of Asymmetric Multiplayer - Extra Credits.
The Kuleshov Effect - Improving Character Interactions in Games - Extra Credits.
Tutorials That Don't Talk Down To You - Context Sensitive Design - Extra Credits.
When a Game is Too Long - Respecting the Player's Time - Extra Credits.
The New Player Experience - Hooks, Tutorials, Rewards - Extra Credits.
Optimal vs Fun - Designing for Different Playstyles - Extra Credits.
The Trolley Problem - Designs With No Right Answer - Extra Credits.
RPG Character Sheets - Designing Gameplay Around Character Customization - Extra Credits.
Ma, The Space Between - Uncluttered Game Design - Extra Credits.
Sticking to Your Guns - How the Doom and Dragon Quest Franchises Modernized - Extra Credits.
Mechanics Shaping Story - Re-examining the Core Gameplay Loop - Extra Credits.
Achieving Vicarity - Creating Livable Fiction - Extra Credits.
Gamification Sucks... - How to Improve Gamification - Extra Credits.
Gestalt - The Parts and the Whole - Extra Credits.
Using Narrative as Context - Balancing Gameplay and Story Elements - Extra Credits.
User Generated Content - The Upsides and Pitfalls to Level Editors - Extra Credits.
The Importance of Not Playing Games - A Balanced Game Design Education - Extra Credits.
Aspirational Play - Adding a Sense of Wonder to Game Design - Extra Credits.
Should You Play the Classics? - Why Game History Matters - Extra Credits.
The Real Core Loop - What Every Game Has In Common - Extra Credits.
The History of Roguelike Deckbuilders - From Playing Cards to CCGs and Beyond - Extra Credits.
The Mechanics of Character Design - Analyzing the Design of Marvel Puzzle Quest - Extra Credits.
Overwatch and Informational Audio - Sound Design in Games - Extra Credits.
How Games Challenge Us - Empathy and Intuition in Puzzle Design - Extra Credits.
The Four Types of Video Game Designers - Game Design Specializations - Extra Credits.
Making Better RPG Classes - What Makes a Class Classic? - Extra Credits.
Character Creators & Cyberpunk - Player Freedom in Expression - Extra Credits.
Building Streaming Into Your Game - Designing Games for Observers - Extra Credits.
Easy Modes Aren't Easy - Designing Dynamic Difficulty - Extra Credits.
The Bystander Effect - Standing Up From the Crowd - Extra Credits.
Final Fantasy VII: Breaking the Remake - Reboots, Remasters, and Remakes - Extra Credits.
Shark Attack! Thursday at Noon - Variable Ratio & Interval Schedules - Extra Credits.
Fail Faster 2: Fail Better - Iteration & Feedback - Extra Credits.
Helping Your Players Design - 6 Rules for Design Tools - Extra Credits.
Is Your Game Controlling You - Compulsive Design in Games - Extra Credits.
Taught by
Extra Credits
